The Brooklyn Navy Yard opened in 1801 and was the longest continually operating military base in the US when it was shuttered in 1966. It played a role in most of America's wars, reaching its heyday in WWII with 70,000 people working there round the clock. As a military facility, the Brooklyn Navy Yard connected our city to the world, building the ships that changed the course of American history. As a commercial ship maintenance facility, it now connects NYC to the world through trade, a vital link in water-born commerce.The Brooklyn Navy Yard also serves as an industrial complex and incubator for light manufacturing and small businesses, especially those with a focus on green technologies. The wind and solar powered street lights in the yard were built by one of those clients, Duggal Energy Solutions. Come explore this and more ride along the shifting industrial waterfront of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. On this special tour NYC H20 partners with Urban Oyster, we will be visiting historic sections not open to the public, like the landmarked Naval Hospital (1838). The tour will last 2.5-3 hours and the riding will be at a leisurely pace.